Salale University

Computer science program

Java Programming
Chapter 2
Java Applet
 Java Applet
Overview of Java Applets
• Applets are Java programs that are typically embedded in HTML
(HyperText Markup Language) documents—also called web pages.
• When a Java-enabled web browser loads a web page containing an
applet, the applet downloads into the browser and executes.
• It can contain any number of components, such as buttons, text fields,
and pictures, and it can respond to user-initiated events, such as mouse
clicks or keyboard presses.
• Many of an applet’s behaviors come from methods that reside in a
Java class named JApplet—the programmer can create additional
behaviors.
Cont’d
• JApplet is a Swing class from which you can inherit.
• A JApplet is a Component, and it is also a Container.
• When you create a JApplet, you gain access to over 200 methods
through inheritance.

Figure: Inheritance hierarchy of the JApplet class

Cont’d
You can import the JApplet class to a program by using one of the following
statements:
import javax.swing.JApplet;
import javax.swing.*;
Example:
import java.awt.Graphics; // program uses class Graphics
import javax.swing.JApplet; // program uses class JApplet
public class WelcomeApplet extends JApplet
// draw text on applet’s background
public void paint( Graphics g )
{
// call superclass version of method paint
super.paint( g );
// draw a String at x-coordinate 25 and y-coordinate 25
g.drawString( "Welcome to Java Programming!", 25, 25 );
}
}
Java Applets Vs Java Application
Applications and applets share many common
programming features, although they differ slightly in
some aspects. For example,
• Every application must have a main method, which is
invoked by the Java interpreter.
• Java applets, on the other hand, do not need a main
method. They run in the Web browser environment.
• Every applet is a subclass of java.applet.Applet.
• The Applet class is an AWT class and is not designed to
work with Swing components.
• To use Swing components in Java applets, you need to
create a Java applet that extends javax.swing.JApplet,
which is a subclass of java.applet.Applet.
Cont’d
A Java applet is like a Java application in several ways:
You save both applets and applications with a .java file extension.
You compile both applets and applications into bytecode using the
javac command, and the bytecode is stored in a file with a .class file
extension.
Both applets and applications can contain any number of methods you
define and any number of variables and constants.
Both can contain decisions, loops, arrays, and all the other java
language elements.
Both can (and applets almost always do) contain GUI elements such as
buttons and labels, and event listeners that respond to user-initiated
actions.
Cont’d
An applet also is different from an application in several ways:
 Unlike applications, applets descend from the JApplet class.
Unlike applications, applets run from another application. You do not
use the java command to execute an applet.
Unlike applications, applets do not contain a main() method. In this
chapter, you will learn about the methods every applet contains.
Unlike an application that uses a JFrame, you do not set a default close
operation for a JApplet.
Applets cannot delete, read, or create files on the user’s system.
Applets cannot run any other program on the user’s system.
Cont’d
• Every Java GUI program you have developed can be converted into an applet by replacing JFrame with
JApplet and deleting the main method.
• Below Figure (a) shows a Java GUI application program, which can be converted into a Java applet as shown
in Figure (b).
Cont’d

the complete code for the applet:

import javax.swing.*;
public class DisplayLabel extends JApplet {
public DisplayLabel() {
add(new JLabel("Great!", JLabel.CENTER));
}
}
Working with JApplet
Components
Using Japplets you can do the following:
o Change the font and color of labels.
o Use layout managers.
o Add multiple GUI components.
o Change the background color.
o Add listeners for user events.
o Add images and sounds.
 example

import javax.swing.*; con.add(pressMe);

import java.awt.*; con.setLayout(new FlowLayout());
import java.awt.event.*; con.setBackground(Color.YELLOW);
import java.awt.Color; pressMe.addActionListener(this);
public class JHello2 extends JApplet implements ActionListener answer.addActionListener(this);
{ }
JLabel greeting = new JLabel("Hello. Who are you?"); public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
Font font1 = new Font("Teen", Font.BOLD, 36); {
Font font2 = new Font("Teen", Font.ITALIC, 48); String name = answer.getText();
JTextField answer = new JTextField(10); con.remove(greeting);
JButton pressMe = new JButton("Press me"); con.remove(pressMe);
JLabel personalGreeting = new JLabel(" "); con.remove(answer);
Container con = getContentPane(); personalGreeting.setText("Hello, " + name + "! ");
public void init() con.add(personalGreeting);
{ con.setBackground(Color.PINK);
greeting.setFont(font1); validate();
personalGreeting.setFont(font2); }
con.add(greeting); }
con.add(answer);
Understanding the JApplet Life Cycle
• Applets are popular because they are easy to use in Web pages. Because applets
execute in a browser, the JApplet class contains methods that are automatically called
by the browser.
• The paint() method is always called after the init() and start() methods execute.
• The four methods that are automatically called in a JApplet are init(), start(), stop(),
and destroy().
The init() Method
• Called once by the applet container when an applet is loaded for execution.
• This method initializes an applet.
• Typical actions performed here are initializing fields, creating GUI components,
loading sounds to play, loading images to display
The start() Method
• Called by the applet container after method init completes execution.
• In addition, if the user browses to another website and later returns to the applet’s
HTML page, method start is called again.
Cont’d

The stop() Method

• When a user leaves a Web page (perhaps by minimizing a window or traveling to
a different Web page), the stop() method is invoked.
The destroy() Method
• The destroy() method is called when the user closes the browser or Applet Viewer.
• Closing the browser or Applet Viewer releases any resources the JApplet might
have allocated
 Exercise
• Create a JApplet that asks a user to enter a password into a JTextField
and to then press Enter. Compare the password to ‘psw123’; if it
matches exactly, display “Access Granted”. If not, display “Access
Denied”. Save the file as JPasswordA.java.